In what is labelled as a match worthy of the final itself, Spanish giant Barcelona will take on English juggernaut Manchester United in the Champions League on Wednesday night at the Camp Nou.
Although United hold a slight advantage in this match, you can never bet against Barca. Both teams have been unbeaten in the competition so far, and this match will be a showdown.
Let's have a look at the key battles on-field that might decide the match's outcome.
1. Lilian Thuram/Gabriel Milito vs. Wayne Rooney/Carlos Tevez:
Barcelona will be without their skipper, Puyol, and hence will be vulnerable at the back. However with the experience Thuram brings, there will be stability at the back, at least on paper.
Gabriel Milito has been great for the last two seasons and has filled Rafael Marquez's shoes very well. He will look to neutralise the threat of fellow compatriot Carlos Tevez.
On the other hand, Man United's two forwards will look to keep the two defenders busy and will pounce on any errors by Barca's backline.
2. Eric Abidal vs. Cristiano Ronaldo:
Stopping the best player in the world will be more than a walk in the park for Abidal.
His defending is as good as his attacking, but will he be able to handle hotrod Ronaldo?
My guess is that Ronaldo will keep him huffing and puffing, even if Abidal manages to keep him on a leash. This battle on the flanks will have a big impact on the tie. Because the winner here will probably be the winner of the tie.
3. Gianluca Zambrotta vs. Ryan Giggs:
Although the veteran winger Giggs is not what he used to be, he has the desire to win Europe once again. Zambrotta, on the other hand, is young, fast and a great crosser of the ball.
However, with experience on his side, Giggs will be a tough challenge for any right back. This battle in the wings is almost as important as the entire match itself, because if Giggs has a bad day at the office, then Patrice Evra will have the near impossible task of stopping Messi and Zambrotta.
So, it is absolutely essential that Giggs keeps Zambrotta busy.
4. Yaya Toure or Deco or Xavi vs Michael Carrick/Owen Hargreaves or Anderson/Paul Scholes:
The midfield is where most games are decided, and this one will be no different. Barcelona has great midfielders, such as two-time winner of the competition Deco and the experienced Xavi.
However, it will be great to see how Yaya Toure handles the pressure against the likes of Carrick and Scholes.
From United's point of view, Hargreaves will be the key man. He will have to keep a lot of attacking players at bay and will be almost sure to start.
Looking at the great form he is in, it doesn't seem a hard job after all.
5. Lionel Messi vs. Patrice Evra:
Patrice Evra will be United's equivalent of Eric Abidal, as he will have to stop a certain Argentinian called Lionel Messi. Messi is just returning from an injury and it will be some time before he comes back to full form.
However, he has a knack of scoring crucial goals and playing well in big games, so in short, Patrice Evra has a mountain to climb. But do not count out Evra just as yet.
His defending has improved a lot this season and he looks like a complete left back. In fact, he has been recently voted by many as the Premier League's best left back.
6. Andres Iniesta or Bojan Krkic vs. Wes Brown:
When Ronaldinho started flirting with injury, not many thought that Iniesta would be able to fit the bill. However, this season he has been Barca's best and most consistent midfielder.
In the absence of R10, he has blossomed into a creative genius with feet that glide on the turf. However, Wes Brown is no rookie himself. He is as dogged as any defender could be, and he is also great in overlapping with Ronaldo.
Brown can also double up as a central defender. The absence of Gary Neville has not hurt United much, thanks to Wes Brown.
Bojan is another one of Barca's youth academy graduates and has been instrumental in many a win, but I doubt he will start given that Messi is returning.
7. Thierry Henry/Samuel Eto'o vs. Rio Ferdinand/Nemanja Vidic:
United fans will be rejoicing all around the world at the return of Vidic, but he will have the daunting task of stopping two of the world's most dangerous strikers in Eto'o and Henry.
With Ferdinand on his side, the job becomes a bit easier, as they have formed the best defensive partnership in Europe. Henry himself is no stranger to United and will try and exploit all mistakes made by the United's back two. All in all, this encounter will be thrilling.
Eto'o, who has been injury prone, will look to find the back of the net, but Vidic will be a man mountain to climb, to say the least.
GOALKEEPING
The goalies of the respective teams will have to be on top of their game to give their team the edge. The experienced Van der Sar seems to have an edge here, as he has been in great form this year. Valdes on the other hand has been accident prone.
